Crisp Meringue Cookies
One cup of sugar goes into just three egg whites for these meringue cookies, and it goes in about a teaspoon at a time. That slow pour is the step I won’t hurry when I make meringue cookies.
The oven barely feels warm at 200°F. The cookies bake for about an hour, then sit in the closed, switched-off oven for another hour or two.
While the mixer runs, I watch the bowl more than the clock. It’s ready when the meringue is glossy and stiff enough to hold a sharp point on the whisk.
One batch fills a sheet or two with about 70 to 80 small kisses.
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: about 1 hour · Total: about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours (with drying in the oven) · Serves: 70 to 80 kisses
What temperature do you bake meringue cookies at?
Bake them at 200°F on the center rack for about an hour. Then turn the oven off and leave the door closed for another 1 to 2 hours. The low heat dries the meringue slowly, and the switched-off oven lets the cookies keep drying as it cools.
Why It Works
- The sugar outweighs the whites about 2 to 1, 200 grams of sugar to 100 grams of egg white. Dished uses nearly the same proportion in its own version, 3/4 cup of sugar for 2 whites.
- Beating the whites to foamy before any sugar goes in, then adding it a teaspoon at a time, builds the meringue up slowly. Each spoonful has a chance to blend in, and the foam ends up glossy and very stiff.
- A very low oven followed by a switched-off oven dries the cookies gently. The baker behind nesbakes uses the same low setting for 60 minutes and finishes with the oven turned off too.
I set a timer for the cool-down so I don’t forget the trays are still sitting in there. The oven door stays shut until it rings.
Why This One’s Worth Making
- A short list: egg whites, superfine sugar, salt, and vanilla, with cream of tartar and gel color as extras.
- One batch makes about 70 to 80 small kisses.
- Most of the time is hands-off, in a low oven and then a switched-off one.
- Stripes of gel color inside the piping bag give you two-tone kisses with no extra piping skill.
What You’ll Need
- 3 large egg whites (100 g)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
- 1 cup (200 g) superfine (caster) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (optional)
Ingredient Notes and Swaps
The Cooking Foodie calls for superfine sugar, the fine-grained kind also sold as caster sugar. None of the sources I checked says whether regular granulated sugar behaves the same way, so I buy superfine for these.
Separate the eggs with care so no yolk slips in with the whites. The bowl matters as much as the eggs, since any grease in it keeps whites from whipping up.
The recipe doesn’t say whether the whites should be cold or at room temperature. I’d rather tell you that than pretend there’s a rule.
Cream of tartar is optional here, and I add the 1/4 teaspoon when I have it in the pantry. The vanilla and any gel coloring go in only after the meringue is stiff.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°F and set a rack in the center. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. They’re ready when the paper lies flat against the pans with no curled corners.
- Start the whites. Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and the cream of tartar, if using. Beat on low, then raise the speed to high, until the whites turn foamy and white.
- Add the sugar slowly. With the mixer still running, add the sugar about a teaspoon at a time. It feels slow, and it’s supposed to. Keep going until all the sugar is in and the meringue has turned thick and bright white.
- Whip until stiff. Keep beating on high until the meringue is glossy and very stiff. Lift the whisk out of the bowl. The meringue should stand in a sharp peak that holds its point instead of bending over.
- Flavor and color. Stir in the vanilla, and the gel coloring if you’re using it. Mix only until the vanilla disappears and any color looks even, with the meringue still thick and glossy.
- Fill the bag. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with the tip you like, or snip the end off a plain bag. For stripes, paint thin lines of gel color up the inside of the bag first. The bag is ready when it’s full and twisted closed.
- Pipe the kisses. Hold the bag straight above the parchment. Squeeze gently while lifting slowly, then stop squeezing and pull up quickly to make the point. Each meringue cookie should stand on its own with a neat little tip.
- Bake low. Set the sheets on the center rack and bake for about an hour. The recipe gives a time for this stage rather than a doneness test, so this is the one step where I go by the clock.
- Dry in the oven. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed for another 1 to 2 hours. Keep it shut the whole time, and take the sheets out once that stretch is over.
What I’ve Learned Making These Meringue Cookies
- Don’t rush the sugar. A teaspoon at a time feels fussy, but it’s what gets the meringue glossy and stiff enough to pipe.
- Keep the oven door closed during the switched-off stretch, the way the recipe says. Peeking is tempting, and I leave it alone.
- No piping tip? Snip the corner off the bag. The kisses come out smooth and round instead of ridged, and they still get their point.
- I don’t measure the gel color. A tiny dab is how I start, and I add more by eye until the shade looks right.
- Wipe the bowl and whisk dry before you start. A trace of grease or yolk keeps the whites from ever getting stiff.
Storing and Reheating
None of the recipes I used says how to store meringue cookies or how long they keep. I’d rather tell you that plainly than hand you a number I can’t back up.
What the sources do cover is the finish. The cookies cool in the turned-off oven, with The Cooking Foodie keeping the door closed for 1 to 2 hours, so they finish drying as the oven cools.
Freezing and making them days ahead aren’t covered by any source either. Handle them gently when you move them off the parchment, because they’re light and the pointed tips snap off easily.
On the Side
- A cup of coffee or tea, since the crisp, sweet shells go well with something hot and a little bitter.
- Fresh berries and whipped cream, crumbling a few kisses over the top for crunch.
- A cookie tray with chewier cookies, where the light, crisp meringues give a contrast in texture.
- A scoop of ice cream, with a few kisses on the side for something crisp against the cold.
Special Equipment
- A stand mixer or hand mixer, since the whites beat on high for a long stretch while the sugar goes in.
- A large clean bowl, wiped dry, with no trace of grease.
- Piping bags, with a tip or snipped plain at the end.
- One or two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- A small spatula for moving the cookies off the parchment.
Questions I Get About Meringue Cookies
Why does the sugar go in so slowly? The recipe adds it a teaspoon at a time once the whites are foamy, and keeps beating until the meringue is glossy and very stiff. I follow that pace and watch the bowl.
Can I use regular granulated sugar? The recipe calls for superfine sugar, and none of the sources says whether granulated works the same. I stick with superfine.
How many meringue cookies does this make? About 70 to 80 small kisses from 3 egg whites. Bigger cookies make fewer, and the sources don’t give a count for them.
Do I need cream of tartar? No. It’s optional in this recipe, and the meringue still whips to glossy, stiff peaks without it.
More From My Kitchen
- Beef Enchiladas with Chili Gravy
- Bright Lemon Curd (No Double Boiler)
- Bubbling Blackberry Cobbler
- Bubbling Blueberry Cobbler
- Buttery Classic French Toast
- Buttery Lemon Scones
- Buttery Shrimp Scampi
- Cheesy Baked Pizza Dip
- Cheesy Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
- Cheesy Crustless Spinach Quiche
Crisp Meringue Cookies
Course: CookieCuisine: American70
servings20
minutes1
hourIngredients
3 large egg whites (100 g)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
1 cup (200 g) superfine (caster) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Gel food coloring (optional)
Directions
- Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°F and set a rack in the center. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. They’re ready when the paper lies flat against the pans with no curled corners.
- Start the whites. Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and the cream of tartar, if using. Beat on low, then raise the speed to high, until the whites turn foamy and white.
- Add the sugar slowly. With the mixer still running, add the sugar about a teaspoon at a time. It feels slow, and it’s supposed to. Keep going until all the sugar is in and the meringue has turned thick and bright white.
- Whip until stiff. Keep beating on high until the meringue is glossy and very stiff. Lift the whisk out of the bowl. The meringue should stand in a sharp peak that holds its point instead of bending over.
- Flavor and color. Stir in the vanilla, and the gel coloring if you’re using it. Mix only until the vanilla disappears and any color looks even, with the meringue still thick and glossy.
- Fill the bag. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with the tip you like, or snip the end off a plain bag. For stripes, paint thin lines of gel color up the inside of the bag first. The bag is ready when it’s full and twisted closed.
- Pipe the kisses. Hold the bag straight above the parchment. Squeeze gently while lifting slowly, then stop squeezing and pull up quickly to make the point. Each meringue cookie should stand on its own with a neat little tip.
- Bake low. Set the sheets on the center rack and bake for about an hour. The recipe gives a time for this stage rather than a doneness test, so this is the one step where I go by the clock.
- Dry in the oven. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed for another 1 to 2 hours. Keep it shut the whole time, and take the sheets out once that stretch is over.